Midsummer Cognizance
by Risknight
Summary: Sheldon discovers a secret Penny has kept hidden from her friends.


**I don't own The Big Bang Theory or the characters. Heck, I don't even have a clue, half the time!**

* * *

Penny closed her eyes and prayed really hard.

_Sheldon isn't there. Please, don't let him be there. No more drinking, I swear. No more swearing. I'll be good, Goddess. Just don't let Sheldon Cooper be there._

Slowly she opened her eyes.

"Fuck a flying duck!"

Sheldon couldn't remember why he was here. He couldn't remember what his purpose for following her had been. He wasn't even entirely sure he knew his own name. All he knew for sure was that Penny was in front of him. She appeared to be praying. She also appeared to be naked. And she had wings.

Penny grimaced and bit her lip. She briefly considered pulling her dress back on, but well, he's got that eidetic memory and it's not like he hasn't seen her before. Well, he hadn't seen _this_ her before, but still…

"Umm, hi Sheldon. What's up?"

Slowly he walked closer. Penny's skin turned a light pink color. All over. He carefully walked in a circle around her. His eyes took in every inch of her.

The right side of his brain cataloged the transparency of the wings, the notched skin surrounding the area of attachment, the 3 inches of air between her feet and the ground, and the slight humming noise as the wings vibrated.

The left side of his brain memorized the sweet smell of honeysuckle coming from her skin, the rosy hue of her cheeks, the lushness of her lips, the curve of her hips and buttocks, and the glimmering glow emanating from her skin.

"It would appear that you are."

Penny settled back down onto the grass and reached for the sundress she had draped over a low branch. For 5 years she had been coming to the small wooded park behind Cal-Tech. It was always deserted in the middle of the night. There was a small pond deep in the woods that she liked to visit. Tonight was Midsummer's Eve. A time of magic for her. Here she could drop all pretense and be her true self. How on earth had he known to follow her? Why had he followed her?

"I guess you would like to ask some questions," she said sadly.

Questions? No. Because this wasn't possible. It wasn't just improbable. It was impossible! Penny did not have wings. Penny was not a magical creature. She was Penny, his very attractive, messy, chaotic friend. She had lived across the hall from him for half a decade!

"Just one, actually," he said in a calm voice. "Am I drunk?"

Penny pulled her glamour back over herself and sat down on the ground. After a moment's hesitation Sheldon did too. Wow, she thought. He's seriously freaked if he's not bitchin' over germs, ticks, and worms. Penny looked at him carefully, gauging how much information he could handle.

"One, I'm really a fae. Specifically, I'm a sylph. An air elemental. Two, if you tell anyone, they'll think you are crazy, despite your mom having you tested."

Penny watched several emotions cross his face rapidly. Oh no. Not good.

Sheldon wasn't sure what to say. Even though he had seen the wings, and the flying, he still wasn't convinced he wasn't just hallucinating. Emotions he had little experience with poured through him.

**Anger. **How could she keep this from him?

**Sorrow. **Did she not trust him?

**Desire. **She was so beautiful.

**Curiosity**. He wanted to see her wings again.

**Fear. **If she was a fae, was everything he thought he knew wrong?

**Lust. **Exceptionally beautiful.

**Pride. **He knew something about her no one else knew.

**Worry. **Was she upset he knew?

**Want. **Okay. So this one he had a lot of experience with. He had felt this every day for five years. Every since he had first laid eyes on her.

Slowly he reached out and brushed his fingers over her cheek. "Penny? Are you really a fae?"

Penny sighed and pulled away. "One, fairies and sylphs are both fae, but not the same thing. Fairies are snobby little publicity whores who didn't care what kind of damage they did as long as they were adored."

Penny pushed away the hand Sheldon placed on her knee. "Sylphs are elementals. There are five different elementals. Ondines for the water, Salamanders for the fire, Gnomes for the soil and there's the Aether, where the Goddess dwells. I'm connected to the wind. There aren't many of us."

Sheldon scooted closer and she eyed him warily. "In fact, I haven't seen another sylph in almost a century. Fairies are extinct now, thank the Goddess. Brownies and imps are still around. But not very plentiful. Elves still live in Britain, banded together. They shun humans. The modern world isn't too fae friendly. So much iron."

Penny slapped away the fingers inching under the hem of her skirt. She looked into Sheldon's face and groaned. He was in full on lust mode. "Wait, Sheldon! This isn't you. You aren't really feeling this way."

Sheldon moved in and kissed her firmly. "I want you," he said, his voice husky and powerful. Penny melted against his lips. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!

Sheldon had to touch her. Her skin was so soft and warm. Her scent was intoxicating. He felt like he was drowning in an emerald sea as he looked into her eyes. He closed the gap between them again and placed his lips on her slender neck. He pushed her to the ground and his hands closed over her breasts. She wiggled beneath him. His hips pressed down between her thighs and he groaned with pleasure. His thoughts were a jumble of half formed sentences. His entire focus was on her. He needed to touch her, taste her, surround himself with her. He moved one hand down to her hem and began working the skirt of her dress up her hips. Penny's arms wrapped around his neck and drew him down for a kiss.

**Much Later**

"Okay. That was …intense." Penny said as Sheldon stroked her shoulder. Sheldon sighed and stood. He pulled Penny up and drew her against his chest.

"I have a confession," he said softly. "I know you and the others have wondered before about what my deal is."

Penny traced around one nipple with her finger. "It's okay, Sheldon. I understand. Lots of people have a fantasy."

Sheldon separated them a few inches. Penny looked up at him with a gentle smile. Slowly it turned to confusion, and then wonder as Sheldon's body glowed and he turned a faintest blue. Tenderly she touched the gill-like protrusions on his neck.

"You're an …ondine?!" Penny blinked several times trying to clear her mind.

Sheldon smiled and replaced his own glamour. "You're the first fae I've seen in a long time, too," he said as he threaded his hand in her hair.

Penny bit her lip. "Is that why we just had sex? Because I'm the first fae you run into?"

Sheldon jerked her into his arms. "No. I made a promise to myself years ago I wouldn't settle for a human. I would stay celibate until I found a true mate. For 220 years that promise was easily kept. Then I met you. For the last five years I have struggled each and every day to keep my hands off of you. I even pushed you toward Leonard so I could have added incentive to stay away. But in my heart, I have always loved you."

Penny smiled and launched herself into his arms. "I'm your true mate?"

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "Good lord, woman. Did you even hear anything else I said?"

Penny smirked. "Promise, struggle, Leonard, yadda, yadda, yadda. Now kiss me again."

Sheldon grinned and pulled her up to eye level. "Gladly."

They would worry about what to tell their friends later. Tonight was Midsummer's Eve. A night of magic and discovery.


End file.
